Motel One Barcelona: Ciutadella — Hotel in Barcelona

The hotel was in a good location right across from Ciutadella park and walking distance to the Gothic Quarter. There are like five restaurants within a block of the hotel. The lobby and bar area are beautiful (but not cooled very well). We loved the bar. Staff was friendly. The hotel caters to German tourists, so a lot of their signage and digital communications are in German. Not a problem for us, but thought I’d mention it. Where they lost points for me was the room. Our room was very small, especially for a five day stay. It felt really cramped for my 6’2” husband. I wish there had been a better place to store luggage and a mini fridge for our water. It took a long time for the air conditioner to cool, but we brought a mini fan that helped A TON. The biggest reason for the negative review is the TV. I Like to wind down after a long day of sightseeing by watching Netflix or something light on TV. But if you’re an English speaker, that’s not in the cards for you at this hotel! All of the channels were in Spanish or German except CNN. I am on vacation. Why on earth would a hotel brand think that the one and only channel I would want is the one that talks 24/7 about the crushing reality of my country’s failing political system. I don’t even follow sports or have kids and I would’ve preferred ESPN or Nickelodeon. We travel with an Amazon fire stick for this very reason, but the TV is programmed so that you can’t change the input to HDMI. The remotes are programmed to only change the channel and volume. I even downloaded the TV’s manual in hopes of overriding whatever setting they have, but nothing worked. We did ask the front desk and they said they couldn’t help us. So we watched Netflix on my phone for the entirety of our stay. I wish I had changed hotels on the first day instead of staying the entire time.

Anyhow, onto the breakfast. It was crowded and the food was meh. I think this was more my problem than theirs, as the hotel caters to German tourists. So it might be an awesome breakfast for them, but not so much for my palette. There was a nice selection of cold cuts and cheeses, which doesn’t really hit my “breakfast” button, but when in Rome, right? The potato “tortillas” were what I ate most, but I had much better ones elsewhere during our stay. I wish they had one thing that catered to Americans like scrambled eggs or cold milk for cereal (it was sitting out at room temp, which might be fine but it’s a little weird to Americans who refrigerate everything). Unless you have kids and need to streamline your stay, I would honestly not waste your money on breakfast and go to Flora one block down.

Because of these reasons, I will not stay again and can’t...

📍LOCATION:|Best part of the hotel is its location. Along Parc de la Ciutadella, it’s perfect for walking to Eixample and Barrio Gótico. I recommend two walking itineraries 👣:|• Day 1: Walk from the hotel to Arc de Triomf, then to Sagrada Familia, and continue to Passeig de Gràcia for Gaudí’s Casa Milà and Casa Batlló.|• Day 2: Head through Parc de la Ciutadella, into El Born (Roman ruins), through Barrio Gótico, visiting Santa Maria del Mar, Santa Maria del Pi, and the Cathedral. Finish via Las Ramblas, Mercado de la Boqueria, and end at Plaça Catalunya.||🛋️ DESIGN:|The 2nd best part is the design. The lobby surrounded by Lara Costafreda´s murals, is a great space for lounging, working, taking Zoom calls and meet ups. My partner and I loved our iced coffees in the afternoons between walks and drinks at the bar by night.||🚕 TRANSPORTATION:|Arc de Triomf metro is just a 3-minute walk . Taxis are usually right at the corner, and if not, you can easily flag one down. Even during a busy time, Uber was just 4 minutes away.||🍳 FOOD:|The breakfast buffet is very set up! — Would´ve liked and egg station, but they do offer hard-boiled eggs and a delicious tortilla Española. You’re given two 1-liter water bottles upon check-in, but for this price point, I’d expect daily water (not per stay). Felt a bit nickel-and-dimed here. Also: — No coffee station in-room — No on-site restaurant . That said, I highly recommend “Restaurant Ciudadela” on the corner. Domingo served us on the first afternoon — he was fantastic! (Espresso warning: I ordered a double… and it was mighty strong, even for me — and I like my coffee strong😄)||🧑‍🤝‍🧑 STAFF:|The staff were consistently courteous and helpful. I wasn’t feeling well for a couple of days, and the person at the breakfast buffet checked in how I was doing — a small gesture that meant a lot ||🌅 PRO TIP:|Get a room facing the park. Totally worth it.||✅ BOTTOM LINE:|Overall a great stay! Fantastic location and nicely designed spaces. I’d love to see a coffee station, daily water replenishment, and maybe a small bistro added in the future. 100% Recommend – and will be back!||Sorry for not so great pics this time! I was enjoying myself :)|||🟢 Viviano rates this: 9.8 / 10|||👋 Hi! I’m Viviano Villarreal Buerón, an architect and world traveler based in Mexico and Hong Kong. In a world full of fake or unreasonable reviews, I’m here to share real, helpful insights. If this helped you plan your trip, please do hit like and follow — and feel free to connect with me on...

We chose this hotel based on excellent reviews from travelers who had stayed here before their cruise. Since I was traveling with my family and only needed it for one night, I thought it would be fine. In the end, I found both pros and cons, which is why I can only give it 3 stars.||Pros:| 1. Great location – Close to major sightseeing spots, the airport, and train stations.| 2. Outstanding customer service – Quick and courteous responses to all inquiries.| 3. Very clean – Comfortable beds and spotless linens.| 4. Modern and trendy decor – Visually appealing design throughout.| 5. Nice continental breakfast – Good variety to choose from.| 6. Quiet rooms – We appreciated the peaceful environment.||Cons:| 1. Extremely compact rooms – Hard to move around with luggage; very tight layout.| 2. No real storage – Lacking a proper closet, nightstands, or luggage stand; you’re forced to put your suitcase on the floor and trip over it.| 3. No work surfaces – There’s no desk or space to sit and use a laptop or organize belongings.| 4. Limited bathroom amenities – Just pump bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and lotion—no extras. Room: Not even a bottle of water in the room. | 5. Not suitable for families – Even two adults and one child cannot be accommodated in one room. You’ll need to book a second room for an extra child, which quickly raises the total cost.||This hotel might be a great value for solo travelers or couples staying overnight with minimal needs. But for families, the space limitations make it uncomfortable. For €200+ per night, there are more spacious and practical options in Barcelona that don’t require splitting up into multiple rooms. At the end, I paid around 350 Euros for myself and my 9-year old twins (2 connected rooms). ||Would I stay again?|Maybe if I were traveling solo. But as a family, I would definitely look for more comfortable...